The Arakan Army puts their legs in two boats

by Aung Aung

Junta delists ‘Arakan Army’ as terror group after the coup. There is a rumor that General Min Aung Hlaing, Chinese officer and General Tun Myat Naing of AA met secretly and had some agreement: to make Rakhine State as a confederate State like Wa and AA should be neutral after the coup. Tensions have been high between the army and ethnic armed groups since the military seized power in a coup on February 1 but AA keeps silence. The strongest Rakhine Party ANP which has strongest tie with AA collaborates with State Administration Council.

The Civil Disobedience Movement and other forms of public resistance to the coup have been speed up since last week of February. Security forces have murdered more than 600 civilians including 43 children even aged 5. Atrocities and killing of unarmed civilians across Myanmar by the security forces continues. Almost all public and ethnic armed groups openly declared that they could not accept inhumane acts of security forces. But AA kept silence until last week. Most of the Rakhine politicians believe that Spring Revolution is a fight between husband and wife referring Min Aung Hlaing and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who claimed reconciliation before.

Majority believes they all have to fight with State terror Administration Council in any way they can. Though young people are losing their lives because of junta’s inhumane acts, they want to make Spring Revolution a decisive revolution. The KIA and KNU have both declared that they reject the military’s February 1 coup, which has met with massive protests around the country but AA puts their legs in two boats: collaborates with SAC and verbally criticize atrocities of SAC against civilians.

Throughout Burma except Rakhine State protest continues since February. In Rakhine State mechanism of State Administration Council has been being materialized with the help of Rakhine politicians. AA is a Rakhine armed group based on Kachin State, founded on 10 April 2009. It is the armed wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA), currently led by General Twan Mrat Naing. According to Amnesty International, AA has perpetrated violence and abuse against civilians, including abductions and forced labour.

Most AA soldiers were originally trained at the KIA Military Academy; however, the AA has additional training camps in Rakhine State. According to the Myanmar Peace Monitor, the AA had more than 1,500 troops in 2014, in 2015 AA had 2,500 troops and 10,000 supporters. When NLD could form government after landslide election victory in 2015, AA moved from Kachin State to Rakhine State.

General Min Aung Hlaing seized power on 1st February under the direction of Chinese President Xi Jingping who wants to complete Deep Sea Port of KyaukPyu, Rakhine State and make a confederate status like that of Wa State for AA. General Twan Mrat Naing always urges Rakhine Buddhists to protect Arakan people and base on Rakkhita Path which has exactly the same concept of MaBaTha, the most anti-Muslim Buddhist Organization led by the most notorious monk Wirathu, called the Buddhist Face of Terror in Time Magazine. China directly involves in Rohingya Genocide and military Coup of 1st February in order to maintain strategic invasion in South Asia politically as well as economically.

Almost all Rakhine politicians shows their anger for the stand of Dr.Sasa and CRPH regarding Rohingya. Both Rakhine politicians and military junta desire elimination of Rohingya.

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